Nearby Geocaches

Leave No Trace Principle

Be prepared to find your way home. Familiarize yourself with the area before you set out and bring your map and compass along.

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Trailhead

Enter Button Bay State Park, drive and park at the west end, past the camping areas, near the pavilion. Follow signs for trail.

Description

You can explore Button Point Natural Area along two short hiking trails that begin at the Nature Center. Button Point Trail leads through a combination of hardwood forest and open areas with views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains to the west. Much of the trail is flat and surfaced with gravel and allows side-by-side walking with room to pass. The trail ends at the point where visitors can view the lake from a platform or walk onto the rocks for a closer view. The last segment of trail from the Nature Center to the point has rare plants growing from the cracks in the rocks. Please step on the rock surface only to protect rare vegetation.

The Champlain Trail begins to the west of the Nature Center and follows along the shore of Lake Champlain with great views to the west. This is a very narrow trail with a rougher surface. This trail goes through a rare group of trees and plants. It's so special an area that it received "Natural Area" designation. The trail continues north and then east ending on the access road to Button Point Nature Center.

Please stay on the trail itself to protect the very fragile vegetation in this area. Please note that the trail is so narrow that visitors must go single file. If you are bringing a group to this area please contact park staff. We can provide further information about rare species and suitable alternative trails. We will ask you to break into smaller groups. During the park operating season an interpreter may be available to lead your group.

Seasonal: Open Memorial Day through Columbus Day Weekend

Other Information

Button Bay, a 253-acre park, is located on a bluff in Ferrisburgh along the 130-mile long Lake Champlain. Historically, the area has been visited by such notables as Samuel De Champlain (1609), Ethan Allen (1776), Ben Franklin (1776), and Benedict Arnold (1777). What once operated as a farm, opened as a state park in 1964. Button Bay was the site of the Girl Scout International Jamboree in the mid 1960s.The park is so named for the button-like concretions formed by clay deposits found along the shoreline.